Inspiration, networking, practice: The Digital Marketing Camp 2024

AI as a creative partner, Gen Z as an important audience group and LinkedIn profiles as a stage. In 2024, the Rheinwerk Digital Marketing Camp (DMC) once again offered a unique opportunity for marketers and interested parties to perfectly combine learning and networking and receive multifaceted marketing training – including inspiration, networking and practice.

After four years of digital implementation, the event returned to the stage from April 24 to 26 in Düsseldorf, presented by Rheinwerk Verlag, with a new name and a fresh concept. In 16 specialist presentations on the most important and current topics in digital marketing, over 150 participants were able to gain tips and best practices from renowned industry experts on two stages and in two tracks. There were valuable insights into content creation, SEO, web analysis, ChatGPT, LinkedIn, TikTok for brands and the relevance of Gen Z.

Anyone who doesn’t understand Generation Z will lose,

explained social media expert Felix Beilharz and with this statement, he already touched on a higher-level realization: brands, advertisers and creators must adapt faster than ever and use the tools and platform features made available to them in innovative ways. The DMC impressively demonstrated how this can be achieved with a conference atmosphere – before moving on to the networking part, which was as cozy as it was educational; it’s not just “SEO and UX having a party”.

Highlights of the Digital Marketing Camp 2024: Gen AI in focus

From content marketing to conversion optimization to search engine optimization, marketing automation and artificial intelligence – the DMC set out to cover all relevant areas of the current marketing scene. Top speakers such as Björn Tantau, Britta Behrens, Markus Hövener, Cindy Ebner and Petra Sammer shared their expertise, while Felix Beilharz spoke about the challenges of Generation Z in his keynote speech.

Addressing Gen Z on an equal footing will be one of the key tasks for publishers, creators and, not least, advertisers in the coming months and years. According to Rheinwerk, TikTok (marketing) was one of the key event topics in this context. Petra Sammer’s talk entitled “Emotional Triggers in Storytelling” fit the picture all too well.

The topic of artificial intelligence and Gen AI in particular, which is becoming increasingly relevant for online marketers, was the focus of this year’s event. AI expert Artur Kosch also made the important point for all marketers to assert themselves as topic authorities, which he believes will be made even easier with ChatGPT. According to Andreas Berens and Carsten Bolk AI becomes a creative partner in the industry, but:

AI tools serve as inspiration, but we have to decide the path because the machine doesn’t care.

That’s why Cindy Ebner explained in detail how you can create appealing ad texts using AI and ChatGPT as a tool. And Laura Oelkerhead of the SEO team at ZEIT ONLINE, warned:

We don’t need adjectives, we don’t need texts with nonsense. We need understandable texts.

Even if it is repeated: The possibilities of AI have amazed many. For many, this was new territory. The presentation by Artur Kosch on AI and marketing and by Andreas Berens/Carsten Bolk on content creation with AI as well as the subsequent workshops impressively showed how AI tools such as ChatGPT can be integrated into SEO and content marketing. The participants were able to experience first-hand how these technologies make their working methods more efficient and open up new creative possibilities.

say the organizers of Rheinwerk and add:

Artificial intelligence is not a replacement, but a complement.

Thousands of touchpoints, numerous topics, diverse impulses: The DMC promotes the industry

Various other presentations sent the participants’ marketing knowledge into overdrive. Markus Vollmert shared valuable Google Analytics tips:

• The key: Allow time to set up GA4 for websites and apps.
• Combining Google Looker Studio with GA4 is worthwhile.
• Send reports by email – so everyone stays up to date.

And LinkedIn expert Britta Behrens provided concrete tips on how you can simply perform better on the business platform. According to her, corporate influencers are the real stars on the platform. Behrens knows that LinkedIn can also be used like a blog:

The profile on LinkedIn is a landing page. It is a stage. Your stage.

From midjourney creation tips to best practices in TikTok marketing to sales psychology at Meta As, there was a colorful potpourri of new and interesting things to take home.

Am 25 and 26 April After the conference, participants were able to take part in one-day workshops and two-day master classes to gain intensive training. The options included workshops on successful texts, Google Analytics 4 and AI strategies for ChatGPT and Co. The two-day master classes dealt intensively with content creation and AI as well as ads on Facebook and Instagram. The Rheinwerk team explained:

The combination of exciting lectures at the conference and in-depth workshops (one or two days) the next day was a highlight. This was an ideal way to find out about new topics, even outside your own horizons, and to delve deeper into your core topic in a practical workshop.

The networking event at the end of the conference day offered the opportunity to review what had been learned in conversation, to make new contacts and maintain old ones, perhaps even to do business or to get content ideas off the ground. Rheinwerk ensured this with a unique feel-good atmosphere, good food and great drinks and an eye for network details in the digital age.

The Rheinwerk team would like to thank all the helpers, the moderators Sebastian Mack and Jürgen Haslauer and all the great speakers for an all-round successful marketing camp. Finally, there are three trend tips from this year’s event that Rheinwerk highlights:

• Petra Sammer explained that successful stories are those that create an emotional connection with the audience.
• Another trend is the increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) for content creation. Andreas Berens and Carsten Bolk showed how AI tools can be used not only to create content more efficiently, but also to support creative processes, for example by generating ideas and optimizing texts for different target groups.
• Nina Roser surprised everyone by saying that integrating SEO and user experience (UX) is not only desirable, but necessary. It is not enough to just optimize content for search engines; it must also be designed to add value to users and be easy to navigate.
• Sven Deutschländer emphasized that localization and personalization of content are not just a nice extra, but a must to be successful in local and international competition. He showed how customized content that is tailored to the specific needs and cultural differences of the target group can significantly improve customer loyalty and satisfaction.​

In autumn 2025, the Digital Marketing Camp will open its doors for you again in Cologne and offer you an all-round package for digital training. But the SMMDays (Social Media Marketing Days) will take place in November, which you as a marketer can look forward to and about which you can find out more directly.